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Bloomberg as mayor: A New York that sparkled, and chafed

NEW YORK (AP) - He was the billionaire businessman and untested politician who took charge of a scarred city and steered it into a new era, shaping a New York that projected glittering prosperity, governmental innovation and cosmopolitan confidence.

Michael Bloomberg will be highlighting, and answering for, that legacy in hisˆ  newly launched Democratic presidential campaign ˆ as 'œa doer and a problem-solver.'ť

Over 12 years as mayor of the nation's largest city, Bloomberg governed with a focus on functionality and a vision of New York rebounding from the trauma of 9/11 to become safer, shinier and more of a magnet than before.

The Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent (now turned Democrat again) was unbeholden to the city's Democratic power structure or the combative law-and-order conservatism of predecessor Rudy Giuliani. But Bloomberg's City Hall wasn't without ideology of its own: data-driven; tech-friendly; committed to making national waves on gun control, public health and climate change; unapologetic and unafraid of backlash if officials were confident they'd be proven right in the end.

The approach did much to transform the city. But many New Yorkers were chafing as Bloomberg's tenure neared its 2013 end, in a third term he'd won after engineering a term-limits-law change.

Some felt Bloomberg's New York worked better for a well-off elite than for others, including hundreds of thousands of black and Hispanic men experiencing police 'œstop and frisks'ť each year, the homeless whose numbers had surged, the tenants who rued seeing rents rise along with pricey skyscrapers. The term-limited mayor's successor, Democrat Bill de Blasio, told a campaign 'œtale of two cities'ť that resonated with voters who felt Bloomberg was out of touch.

Nonetheless, Bloomberg left office with nearly two-thirds of voters saying he made the city better, according to a Quinnipiac Universityˆ  poll, and a long list of important mayoral moments.

Here are some.

ˆ 

June 12, 2002: The school takeover.

"I commit to you today that I will make the schools better," Bloomberg said when an education overhaul he muscled through the Legislature became law in 2002.

He had campaigned on gaining control of the nation's largest public school system, troubled by low test scores and high dropout rates. It was overseen by an unwieldy combination of an appointed board - which Bloomberg said ran the schools 'œlike a rinky-dink candy store"- and 32 elected school boards.

After getting control, Bloomberg left his mark by championing charter schools, expanding school choice, giving schools letter grades, and replacing scores of struggling institutions with clusters of small schools. His presidential-campaign announcement boasted that he gave teachers 'œthe largest raise in America'ť and improved high school graduation rates by 42%.

Many of his education initiatives were contentious. Protests erupted when some schools closed. Bloomberg's choice system gave families options, but was criticized as fueling segregation by expanding the number of schools allowed to screen students by test scores, interviews and auditions.

ˆ 

JULY 1, 2002: The cigarette tax.

Six months into his tenure, Bloomberg signed what he said 'œmay be the most important measure my administration takes to save people's lives.'ť

It raised the city's cigarette taxes to the highest level in the nation.

Bloomberg went on to prioritize public health, banning smoking in bars and parks, making chain restaurants post calorie counts and prohibiting artificial trans fats in restaurant food. He lobbied food manufacturers to use less salt.

Then, in 2012, Bloomberg took aim at soda.

Pointing to rising obesity rates, he proposed a 16-ounce cap on non-diet soda and other sugary beverages sold in restaurants and other venues.

Health officials praised the first-of-its kind measure. Industry groups and believers in laissez-faire called it unfair to businesses and condescending toward consumers, dubbing the mayor 'œNanny Bloomberg'ť and 'œMayor Poppins.'ť

Courts struck the measure down.

Bloomberg called the outcome 'œunfortunate'ť but remained proud of his public-health record, saying his administration's biggest accomplishment was a roughly 3-year increase in residents' life expectancy.

ˆ 

MAY 15, 2006: The gun crackdown.

Saying he wanted to stanch gun violence at the source, Bloomberg announced in May 2006 that he was suing 15 dealers he accused of selling firearms illegally - in other states.

"Efforts to stop this bloodshed have to reach across state lines," said Bloomberg, whose administration said the shops were linked to guns used in New York City crimes.

The lawsuits resulted in court-appointed monitoring for many targeted shops and a burgeoning role for Bloomberg as a public face of gun control.

He went on to co-found Mayors Against Illegal Guns - now part of his Everytown for Gun Safety advocacy group - and has given millions of dollars to pro-gun control candidates.

Critics complained he was deaf to the views of millions of firearms owners.

The National Rifle Association caricatured Bloomberg as an octopus on the cover of its magazine in 2007. A Virginia group organized a taunting 'œBloomberg Gun Giveaway.'ť

ˆ 

DEC. 3, 2007: A subway line extension, and growth.

A rail yard on Manhattan's Far West Side had been a linchpin of Bloomberg's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. After it failed in 2005, Bloomberg pivoted to reconceiving the 28-acre area as a new neighborhood of offices, apartments, arts spaces and more.

To facilitate it, the city took an unusual step to finance a subway line extension.

The December 2007 groundbreaking for the city's first additional subway station in a quarter-century was a milestone in the city's biggest private real estate development since Rockefeller Center.

Hudson Yards, which opened this March, was part of the roughly 40 percent of the city that was rezoned during Bloomberg's tenure.

Bloomberg said his administration created or preserved more than 175,000 affordable housing units. But for many New Yorkers, affordability slipped from reach.

By 2013, some 54% of renter households were spending 30% or more of their income on housing, up from 43% in 2000, according to New York University's Furman Center. The number of people in homeless shelters rose about 60% during Bloomberg's tenure, despite his pledge to reduce homelessness by two-thirds.

Bloomberg insisted he had worked to fight poverty. Yet he was unabashed about also courting the rich.

'œThat's where the revenue comes to take care of everybody else,'ť heˆ  told ˆ New York magazine in 2013. 'œWouldn't it be great if we could get all the Russian billionaires to move here?'ť

ˆ 

AUG. 3, 2010: The mosque speech.

When a proposal to build a Muslim community center near ground zero generated a bitter debate over tolerance and the legacy of 9/11, Bloomberg delivered one of the most impassioned speeches of his career.

When first responders rushed to save people on Sept. 11, 2001, he noted, 'œnot one of them asked, '~What God do you pray to?''ť

'œMuslims are as much a part of our city and our country as the people of any faith, and they are as welcome to worship in lower Manhattan as any other group,'ť he said.

The terror attacks happened two months before Bloomberg won the mayoralty, partly by arguing that his business experience would help revitalizing the city.

Bloomberg at times alienated some Sept. 11 victims' relatives, but he also led the development of the ground zero memorial.

As progress stalled in 2006, Bloomberg joined the 9/11 memorial foundation board and became chairman to boost fundraising, giving at least $15 million of his own fortune. Organizers credited him with injecting momentum. The memorial plaza opened in 2011, followed by the museum in 2014.

ˆ 

OCT. 29, 2012. The superstorm.

Superstorm Sandy slammed New York City with a surge of water that killed 44 people and plunged swaths of the city into darkness. Flooding damaged tens of thousands of homes, swamped subways and forced evacuations of hospitals and nursing homes.

Bloomberg offered a voice of on-top-of-it assurance.

"We will get through the days ahead by doing what we always do in tough times - by standing together,'ť he said.

Those days were packed with problems: enduring outages, gas shortages, senior citizens stranded in high-rises where elevators didn't work.

Bloomberg embarked on home-repair initiatives that drew initial praise for performing basic fixes on 20,000 dwellings in five months, but led to yearslong delays for more substantial repairs.

He also proposed a $20 billion plan to protect New York with levees, flood gates and other defenses.

ˆ 

AUG. 12, 2013: The stop-and-frisk strike down.

During the Bloomberg administration, civil rights groups went to court to end the NYPD's use of a tactic known as 'œstop and frisk,'ť which involved detaining, questioning and sometimes searching people deemed suspicious by officers.

A federal judge's 2013 ruling on the program was unsparing: The police had violated thousands of people's civil rights.

'œThe city's highest officials have turned a blind eye to the evidence that officers are conducting stops in a racially discriminatory manner,'ť U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin wrote.

The tactic was longstanding, but its use soared under Bloomberg and then-Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, from about 97,000 stops in 2002 to a high of almost 685,000 in 2011.

They argued the tactic helped drive crime down to record-low levels, but only about 10 percent of stops yielded arrests or summonses.

De Blasio laterˆ  dropped ˆ the city's appeal of the ruling, agreeing to reforms and a court-appointed monitor.

Bloombergˆ  apologized ˆ for this month for supporting stop and frisk.

'œI can't change history,'ť he told a black church congregation in Brooklyn, but 'œI realize back then I was wrong.'ť

___

Jennifer Peltz covered New York City Hall during part of Bloomberg's final term. Associated Press writer Karen Matthews contributed to this report.

File-This photo from Sunday Jan. 1, 2006, shows New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg arriving for his 2nd inaugural swearing in ceremony at City Hall. Over 12 years as mayor, including a third term beyond the previous two term limit for elected city officials, Bloomberg governed the nation's largest city with a focus on functionality and a vision of New York rebounding from the trauma of 9/11. (AP Photo/Ozier Muhammad, Pool, File) The Associated Press
File-In this Jan. 31, 2008 file photo, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is silhouetted against a New York skyline. Over 12 years as mayor of the nation's largest city, Bloomberg governed with a focus on functionality and a vision of New York rebounding from the trauma of 9/11. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, shows Sandra Finnegan at her brother's house in Staten Island, N.Y., which was destroyed Superstorm Storm Sandy, placing a sign aimed at Mayor Michael Bloomberg for allowing the New York marathon as the city suffered. The storm killed 44 people and plunged swaths of the city into darkness, flooding tens of thousands of homes, swamped subways and forced evacuations of hospitals and nursing homes. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Saturday, Oct. 27, 2001, shows Mayor Rudolph Giuliani endorsing then Republican mayoral candidate Michael Bloomberg, left, on the steps of City Hall in New York. Saturday, Oct. 27, 2001. The Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent (now turned Democrat again) was unbeholden to the city's Democratic power structure or the combative law-and-order conservatism of predecessor Rudy Giuliani. (AP Photo/Robert Spencer, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, shows New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, left, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg meeting in the "Bull Pen," at City Hall. Democrat Bill de Blasio campaign told a "tale of two cities" that resonated with voters who felt Bloomberg was out of touch and left a city that worked better for a well-off elite than for others. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) The Associated Press
File- This photo from Monday, Feb. 24, 2003, shows advocates for the homeless protesting New York City's plan to seek legal authority to eject some people from shelters over conduct and compliance issues, during a protest rally at City Hall. By 2013, most renter households were spending 30% or more of their income on housing and the number of people in homeless shelters rose about 60% during Mayor Michael Bloomberg's tenure. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Friday April 15, 2011, shows the New York by Gehry tower, center, in downtown New York--which was originally supposed to include 200 sprawling condos along with 700 rentals, but now all apartments are for rent. By 2013, most renter households were spending 30% or more of their income on housing and the number of people in homeless shelters rose about 60% during Mayor Michael Bloomberg's tenure. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, shows New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, second from left, and Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, far left, meeting with senior students at the Bedford Academy High School in New York. Bloomberg campaigned on gaining control of the nation's largest public school system. left his mark by championing charter schools, expanding school choice, giving schools letter grades, and replacing scores of struggling institutions with clusters of small schools. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, shows District Attorney Cyrus Vance, left, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, right, with confiscated illegal firearm during a press conference in New York. Bloomberg announced in May 2006 that he was suing 15 dealers he accused of selling firearms illegally in other states, resulting in court-appointed monitoring for many targeted shops. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) The Associated Press
File- In this Feb. 3, 2010 file photo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, and MTA Chairman and CEO Jay Walder, right, tour the massive cavern for the new 34th Street Station. Hudson Yards, which opened this March, was part of the roughly 40 percent of the city that was rezoned during Bloomberg's tenure. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, file) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Sunday, June 17, 2012, shows Rev. Al Sharpton, center, with demonstrators during a silent march to end the "stop-and-frisk" program in New York. During the Bloomberg administration, civil rights groups went to court to end the NYPD's use of a tactic known as "stop and frisk," which involved detaining, questioning and sometimes searching people deemed suspicious by officers. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Sunday, July, 4, 2004, shows developer Larry Silverstein, right, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the unveiling of a 9-foot-by-4-foot granite cornerstone, after it was lifted into its resting spot at the World Trade Center site in New York. In 2006, Bloomberg joined the 9/11 memorial foundation board and became chairman to boost fundraising, giving at least $15 million of his own fortune. (AP Photo/Dean Cox, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Tuesday, March 28, 2006. , shows New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg listening as he testifies about gun control before Congress in Washington. Bloomberg announced in May 2006 that he was suing 15 dealers he accused of selling firearms illegally in other states, resulting in court-appointed monitoring for many targeted shops. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Saturday, June 14, 2014, in New York, shows anti-gun demonstrators-- underwritten by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, with signs calling for tougher gun control laws as they march across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Bloomberg co-founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns--now part of his Everytown for Gun Safety advocacy group, and has given millions of dollars to pro-gun control candidates. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Thursday Oct. 23, 2008, shows protestors with against changing term limits, during a debate on term limits at City Hall in New York. Bloomberg won a third term in office after engineering a term-limits-law change from two to three four-year terms. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Sunday, June 17, 2012, shows protestors with signs during a silent march to end "stop-and-frisk" program in New York. During the Bloomberg administration, civil rights groups went to court to end the NYPD's use of a tactic known as "stop and frisk," which involved detaining, questioning and sometimes searching people deemed suspicious by officers. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) The Associated Press
File-This photo from Tuesday Aug. 24, 2010, shows New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, returning to his seat after his remarks during a dinner in observance of Iftar at Gracie Mansion in New York. When a proposal to build a Muslim community center near ground zero generated a bitter debate over tolerance and the legacy of 9/11, Bloomberg said not allowing the mosque to be built two blocks from ground zero would be "compromising our commitment to fighting terror with freedom." (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, Pool, File) The Associated Press
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